School leadership: Dilemmas in dealing with crises

Abstract

This paper examines peer-reviewed research articles from Western countries on school leadership in times of crisis published from 2013 to 2024. The objective of this review is to enhance our understanding of the features of school-level crises, the challenges principals face, and the effective roles and actions they undertake during such events. We aim to contribute to the existing body of research by uncovering the dilemmas school leaders encounter when managing crises. The literature review identified 51 relevant articles across 14 countries, 32 of which are about principal leadership amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the findings, four dilemmas have been discussed: (1) whether to prioritize individual power and responsibility over shared leadership, (2) whether to render care and support or strictly fulfill managerial duties, (3) whether to be true to one's core values and beliefs or respond quickly and (4) whether to give up control or provide stability amid constant uncertainty. Our findings indicate that, during crises, school leaders should strike a balance between exercising individual power and facilitating collaboration, between relational aspects and operational expectations, between individual and collective decision-making, and between being in constant uncertainty and providing predictability.